4 min readRaipurJun 14, 2026 05:48 AM IST
First published on: Jun 8, 2026 at 05:35 AM IST
A four-year-old tigress that wandered into Chhattisgarh’s Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) earlier this year and stayed through the scorching summer months has kindled fresh hopes for a reserve that has watched its tiger population vanish over the past three decades.
For forest officials, the tigress’s decision to remain in the reserve through the harshest season of the year, when water and prey become scarce, is being seen as a sign that the habitat may once again be capable of sustaining a breeding tiger population.
The optimism stems partly from a success story elsewhere in Chhattisgarh. At Achanakmar Tiger Reserve, a tigress named Jhumri played a key role in reviving the big cat population after years of decline. Its arrival and subsequent breeding helped boost tiger numbers in the reserve, offering conservationists a rare example of natural recovery in the state.
Udanti-Sitanadi, however, has had a far more troubled trajectory.
In 1998, the then Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary was home to 18 tigers. By 2006, that number had fallen to just three. During the same period, the population of wild buffaloes — Chhattisgarh’s state animal — crashed from around 80 to seven. Today, only one wild buffalo survives in the reserve.
The decline was not limited to tigers and buffalo. Populations of panthers, gaur, sambar, nilgai, spotted deer and wild boar also dwindled over the years.
In 2009, the state government merged the Udanti and Sitanadi sanctuaries, spread across 1,842.54 sq km, and notified them as a tiger reserve. Tiger numbers briefly rose to eight, but the gains proved short-lived. By 2023, no resident tiger remained in the reserve, which had effectively become a transit landscape for dispersing big cats.
Against this backdrop, the arrival of the tigress in January has emerged as a rare bright spot.
Because the animal does not match any tiger officially recorded in India by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), forest officials have named it “Paheli” (riddle).
Officials say Paheli has not only endured the summer but has also been involved in territorial encounters, including with elephant herds moving through the landscape.
Asked about measures being taken to encourage the tigress to settle permanently in the reserve, USTR Deputy Director Varun Jain said, “Regular foot patrolling, camera trapping and use of thermal drones are being undertaken. We are planning to radio-collar her so that monitoring can continue if she moves into Odisha or other districts of Chhattisgarh and faces danger.”
The reserve is also undergoing habitat improvement works in anticipation of future tiger translocations. More than 500 hectares of grassland are being developed, and water bodies are being created to improve water availability for wildlife.
Officials said that over the last three to four years, nearly 956 hectares of encroached land have been cleared from the core and buffer areas of the reserve, despite the presence of more than 100 villages within its boundaries.
Anti-poaching efforts have also intensified. During the same period, authorities carried out 15 inter-state operations with assistance from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI), leading to the arrest of more than 100 alleged poachers involved in leopard and pangolin trafficking. Investigators also busted illegal country-made firearm manufacturing units.
After receiving approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to translocate one male and two female tigers from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, forest officials have focused on improving prey availability — a key condition flagged by the NTCA for the reserve’s revival.
Alongside efforts to restore tiger numbers, authorities are also attempting to revive the wild buffalo population. Three female wild buffaloes have been brought from Assam and are expected to be released into the reserve soon.
he tigress's decision to remain in the reserve through the harshest season of the year, when water and prey become scarce, is being seen as a sign that the habitat may once again be capable of sustaining a breeding tiger population. 
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